I don't know the exact law, but here in New Mexico we are reqired to have a rainwater collection system for the roof of the new house we are building. Lawn s u c k s ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! We need more environmental contests.

We've already had the "Green" contest. Maybe it could become a regular event, or maybe there could be an annual "green" award given out to the best-executed environment-saving Instructable with the greatest potential impact?

Immediate ideas, though:

Encourage watering of lawns with grey-water, via under-lawn pipes to cut down evaporation.

Replace the grass - many lawns are ornamental, and do not need to survive traffic. Are there other, drought-resistant plants that grow to form a mat of green a few inches tall?

Get local authorities or utility providers to give tax breaks to households that install rain-barrels and use nothing else to water the garden, or who re-direct the barrel-water to toilets and washing machines.

I get the impression (from TV) that most American lawns are very exposed - a hedge or fence around the edge of a garden will shelter a lawn from wind, slowing evaporation and reducing the need for watering.

> plants that grow to form a mat of green a few inches tall? . They often use drought-resistant strains of grass in the Desert Southwest of the US (Arizona, New Mexico, &c), but I don't know if any of these have self-limiting growth. . > most American lawns are very exposed . I never noticed that before, but I do believe you are right. A lot of suburbia was bulldozed before the houses were put up, wiping out any native vegetation. A few bushes were planted near the houses and maybe a spindly tree in the front yards. We also tend to have much larger lawns, which means more watering per house. I hate to admit it, but we Yanks are a terribly wasteful lot. :(